November 14, 2025 • 20 mins
If you clean pools for a living, the vacuum system you choose can either speed up your route or slow you down at every backyard gate. We break down cart-based workhorses like Riptide and Hammerhead and match them against cartless contenders including the Bottom Feeder, Shrimp, Power Vac’s relaunch, Riptide XP, and the Hammerhead Remora. You’ll hear clear pros and cons on power, maneuverability, durability, price, and real access issues—stairs, narrow side yards, and HOA choke points that make or break your day.
We start with first principles: how a cart changes your workflow, the real benefits of carrying chemicals and accessories in one trip, and the headaches of transport racks, tailgate access, and rear visibility. Then we get practical about mounting: class III receivers, T-bar configurations, swing-away solutions, and anti-wobble plates that keep your setup solid. From there, we shift to non-cart freedom—why a 12-pound Bottom Feeder with no cords can outpace heavier systems on most routes, and when the compact Shrimp becomes a durable replacement for disposable plastic spot vacs.
• cart advantages, access limits, and transport racks
• T-bar mounts, swing-away options, anti-wobble plates
• Bottom Feeder portability and Shrimp use cases
• coquita alternatives and durability trade-offs
• Power Vac relaunch, Riptide XP, Hammerhead Remora
• maneuverability on vinyl, spas, and steps
• power comparisons across brands and heads
• mixing systems for heavy debris and tight yards
• micron bag choices for dust vs leaves
• practical buying tips and vendor sources
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (01:03):
Hey, welcome to the Pool Green Podcast Show.
In this episode, I'm going totalk about vacuum systems with
the cart, without a cart, andthe different vacuum systems
that are available on the marketout there today.
You can kind of compare andcontrast when you're looking to
upgrade or maybe add a vacuumsystem to your pool route or to
(01:24):
get one for an employee.
Are you a pool service prolooking to take your business to
the next level?
Join the pool guy coachingprogram.
Get expert advice, businesstips, exclusive content, and get
direct support from me.
I'm a 35-year veteran in theindustry.
Whether you're starting out orscaling up, I've got the tools
to help you succeed.
Learn more atswimmingpoollearning.com.
(01:45):
I'll start with if you shouldget the vacuum system with or
without a cart.
Of course, there are some vacuumsystems that you wouldn't need a
cart for or don't have a cartfor sale as part of the vacuum
system.
The cart does come in handy insituations where you can
actually use the cart and itdoes make it easier to transport
(02:06):
the vacuum system back to thepool for sure.
The two main companies that havea vacuum system with the cart
are the Riptide vacuum systemand the Hammerhead.
And both of these you can getwith the service cart or without
the service cart.
And I'll touch on those modelslater.
But the vacuums with the cart,the convenience factor of this
(02:30):
is that you have your vacuumsystem and the battery on there,
and you also have room, at leastin the riptide cart, for
chlorine and a lot ofaccessories.
The hammerhead cart is a littlebit limited, but it's actually a
really well-balanced cart aswell.
The limitation is mainly in whatyou can put in there compared to
the riptide cart.
(02:51):
We can load it with a bunch ofstuff.
So it's a very versatile cartitself.
Now, some of the drawbacks withthe cart are that not every
single account is accessiblewith the cart stairs.
Maybe there's areas where youcan't get the cart through
(03:11):
because of narrowness of thebackyard entry area.
So it's not gonna be for everyaccount for that reason.
Plus, you have to get thetransport rack, which comes with
the cart, and put it in the backof your truck.
And this in some situations maylimit your tailgate, how low you
can if you can lower yourtailgate or not.
(03:31):
Oh, the riptide does have aswing-away hitch mount that you
can use just to kind of move thecart out of the way to open the
tailgate.
Otherwise, you'll have to takeoff the transport rack to access
the back of your truck.
If you're putting in a filter orsomething large like a heater,
you'll have to remove that toput it in your truck.
So that is one drawback with thetransport rack on the back of
(03:55):
the truck.
The other drawback, of course,is the fact that it could
obstruct your some of the viewsout of the back of your truck.
And of course, it could fall offif you don't secure it properly,
which is not very common, butthere's safety pins, and of
course, you can strap it.
But there has been instances ofthe carts falling off the back
of the truck.
(04:16):
It does give you the visual edgein pool service.
What I mean by this is thathaving that cart on back does
make you look very professional.
Now, especially if you get theT-bar mount from Advantaged
Manufacturing, just go toadvantaged manufacturing.com and
there's a T-bar mount.
What's cool about this is thatit's designed so it goes into
(04:40):
the receiver in the center ofthe back of your truck, and then
there are two other receiversfor two hitches, either a vacuum
system transport rack or theadvantage um hitch for their
service cart.
You can have a vacuum system onone side and then a regular pool
(05:00):
service cart on the other side.
Now, of course, you can go to awelding shop, uh, auto welding
shop, muffler shop would bespecifically what I'm thinking
about.
If you can find a muffler shopin your area, they can actually
weld two receivers onto the backof your truck.
That's kind of the old schoolmethod of doing it, but I think
it's much better just to buy tohave a receiver put on if you
(05:23):
don't have one.
It's a class three, you can getthat at U-Haul or at a muffler
shop installed, and then use aT-bar mount in the middle.
And with the anti-wobble plateson that and also the other two
mounts, it's going to be areally smooth way to transport
your vacuum system and yourservice cart in your truck at
(05:43):
the same time.
So there's really nothing betterthan the cart and the
convenience factor.
Now, of course, if you have abottom feeder, Advantage
Manufacturing does make a bottomfeeder cart.
This was created by a poolservice pro that wanted to have
a cart for the bottom feeder, soit's very similar to their
regular service cart, but it hasa special compartment for the
(06:05):
bottom feeder.
T Doula can also make you abottom feeder cart as well.
They're in Orange County.
You can go to tdoula.com, Ibelieve that's their website,
and you can have a cart for thebottom feeder.
So you can carry back yourchlorine and all the accessories
with that.
But specifically, it's reallynot made for a cart, and it may
not be necessary.
So let me quickly transition tothe vacuum systems without a
(06:26):
cart.
Now, of course, the bottomfeeder would be number one on
that list for a number offactors, but one of them being
that it's very lightweight,weighs about 12 pounds with the
battery itself, and it's reallyconvenient to use and just
attach it to your pool pole, andthere's no cords or batteries to
drag back to hold on and bringback there as well.
(06:49):
So it's like an a completesystem itself.
So you're you're going to findthat to be, in my opinion, the
best non-cart vacuum system.
And of course, it's probably upthere with the best cart systems
if you get the advantage bottomfeeder cart for it.
Now, the price point of thebottom feeder, and it comes with
(07:11):
the battery, is about 1500.
But if you use my discount codeDVB100, you'll save$100 on
there, and it'll bring the pricedown.
They have a new model called theShrimp, and that sells for about
$1,200.
And that that is a smallerversion of the bottom feeder.
It's got a 5-inch throat versusthe 6-inch throat on the bottom
(07:31):
feeder, and it has the samebattery runtime.
Now it does have a little lesspower, but you won't notice it
because the 5-inch openingcreates more thrust.
So I don't think that will besomething that will be
noticeable.
But it is smaller and morenimble, and it is a great option
if you're using those Coquitavacuums all the time and you
(07:54):
wanted something a littlesmaller than the bottom feeder.
And since I'm I just mentionedthe Coquita vacuums, they're
pretty popular.
They they have them at SCP andSuperior pool products, other
outlets.
I think Heritage also sellsthose.
Get them on Amazon, and they'reanywhere from two to three
hundred dollars for these littlevacuums that are made out of
plastic.
A lot of pool guys like thesethings, they don't have a huge
(08:17):
lifespan, but for two or threehundred dollars, it's something
that you can use to spot vacuumthings out.
The shrimp is kind of designedto fit into that category, but
to be a lot more robust, ofcourse, because it's made out of
metal and it has a real motor onthere and it has a real battery
pack on there.
(08:37):
And so it's it's more expensive,of course, but if you go through
three or four of these coquitasin a season, it may be worth
just to get the shrimp that'sgoing to last you many, many
years of use.
I mean, if you baby the coquita,you could probably get nine
months.
Some people have gotten over ayear with them, but they do
(08:57):
break, they're plastic, theyhave all mostly all plastic
parts.
There's some that come with analuminum swivel handle, but it's
just a plastic cleaner that isnot technically meant for pool
service use, but they are prettyeffective, they're light, and
they do actually pick up debrisin the bags that come with them.
But again, the shrimp would be agreat direct replacement for
(09:21):
these because it's got that thesmall footprint as well, and you
can use it in as little as fourinches of water effectively to
vacuum out the leaf debris in apool.
Now, the other portable, I guesssomewhat portable non-cart
vacuum systems, the originalpower vac, they've changed it,
(09:41):
redesigned it, and relaunched itwithout the cart, so you can no
longer get the cart with thepower vac to put on the back of
your truck, which really, in myopinion, is a shame because I
thought the power vac cart wasthe best service cart of the
three vacuum systems with thecart.
It was the most refined cart,and it did have a lot of space
(10:02):
for everything, but it wasextremely well balanced and a
really great cart vacuum system.
But the cart's no longeravailable, and it's just
basically the power vac with thebattery box, and you can bring
it back to the stop.
They redesigned the whole thing,it still has the kind of office
chair wheels on there, butthey're more robust.
And that one sells for about$1300, so pretty close to the
(10:26):
bottom feeder price point, andthen you have to get a battery
for it as well.
So, with the battery, you'regonna get close to what you
would pay for the bottom feeder,and the bottom feeder, in my
opinion, is a lot moreconvenient to bring back to the
pool.
The next one would be theRiptide XP, which is basically
the Riptide vacuum head with abattery box as well, and that
(10:48):
one sells for about$11.40, andthen you're going to have to buy
the battery.
So that one's probably thelowest of the lowest priced of
the non-cart vacuum systems.
It's pretty heavy because theriptide vacuum head is heavy,
and then you have the battery.
So, out of all the portableones, it's probably the
heaviest, but the riptide power,it you can't really say anything
(11:10):
negative against how powerfulthe riptide vacuum is.
And with the XP version, you'llget the power of the riptide
without the cart.
So it's an option out there thatyou may want to look into.
(11:41):
And Riptide Customer Service isprobably the best customer
service out there for the vacuumsystems.
Then you have the hammerheadRemora, which is a hammerhead
that you wear battery pack onyour waist.
A lot of people like this with asmall cord that goes to the
hammerhead.
So a lot of people like thiscleaner, but again, I think the
(12:02):
bottom feeder is much easier touse.
It's this is the closest thingto the bottom feeder because you
have the battery you wear, andthen you just have a short cord
to the hammerhead vacuum headitself.
But it's one of those thingswhere you have to really weigh
the pros and cons of having abattery on your waist and the
(12:22):
portability of the remorecompared to just purchasing
something like the bottomfeeder, which is all inclusively
portable.
Let me transition real quick andtalk about the power of these
vacuum systems and I and thepower and use, I should say.
I did a video, I think it'scalled the Ultimate Vacuum
(12:42):
System Guide back in 2021, whereI show using the power vac with
the cart, the original one, andthen the hammerhead, the
riptide, and the bottom feeder,and basically I go over all the
all of this in that video, andit's a really it's a video that
you may want to watch if you'recomparing these systems, even
though the power vac has changedsomewhat, but it goes over the
(13:04):
use of these things.
And if I was gonna say the cartvacuum systems, even though the
riptide is like indestructible,I think the vacuum head has a
10-year warranty, it's heavy,and it's it's not as easy to
maneuver in the pool as thehammerhead vacuum head, in my
opinion.
The hammerhead moves prettysmoothly through the pool, it's
(13:27):
more elevated than the riptide,and so if you have vinyl pools,
I think the hammerhead is muchmore suited for that.
The riptide, of course, wins inthe power category because of
the way it just pulls all thedebris in.
So it is the most powerful, inmy opinion, even though the
thrust motors I think are verysimilar or the same between the
(13:47):
hammerhead and riptide, the waythe riptide is designed
generates more power, in myopinion, after using these
systems, and so I think theriptide wins in that power
category.
And if you have employees, theriptide, again, it's pretty
indestructible.
If the employees don't treat itwell, they're not gonna break
it.
I think the bottom feeder alsois a great employee vacuum
(14:08):
system because of itsdurability.
But those would be my choicesfor employees for sure.
The hammerhead isn't like a wimpor anything, but you can break
the head in the shell, so youhave to be careful with it.
But it does move very smoothlyin the pool.
If you were comparing thesedirectly side by side, the
riptide and the hammerhead.
The power vac I always thoughtwas one of the most
(14:31):
maneuverable.
I like using that on steps andin the spa.
And I think it still kind ofpulls a little bit to the deep
end, those kind of wheels thatare on there from the office
chair kind of thing, kind ofpulls towards the center, but
you'll find it's verymaneuverable as well and easy to
use.
And of course, the bottom feederwith no cords, you just put it
(14:51):
in there and you can move itaround.
It's one of the most convenientand maneuverable vacuum systems
you can have out there.
The new shrimp is even moremaneuverable and more nimble
than the bottom feeder, so youmay want to look at that.
It's on their site right now.
If you go to thebottomfeeder.com, you'll see the
shrimp as well listed there.
And check that one out.
I think if you're looking forsomething compact like the
(15:13):
coquito cleaners, that's easy totake back there and
maneuverable, but you wantsomething that's more robust,
that'd be a great choice aswell.
So between all the vacuumsystems, they all work really
well with the riptide probablybeing the most powerful of them,
and the hammerhead probablybeing a very close second.
The power vac I always thoughtdidn't really have the same
(15:35):
power as the other ones becauseof how large the throat is and
the shape of it, but it's stillvery powerful.
And the one with probably theleast powerful because it has a
smaller thrust motor, is thebottom feeder.
Not noticeable in my opinion ifyou're using if you have
moderate debris.
Now, if your pool has a heavydebris, like earlier in the year
(15:56):
we had these fires inCalifornia, and the pools got
totally toasted with debris, youknow, one of the worst amounts
of debris I've seen before.
The riptide was able to handleit much better.
But in situations where you justhave moderate or normal debris,
the bottom feeder is great for95% of the pools out there, and
(16:18):
the compactness of it issomething that is the selling
point and why a lot of pool prosgravitate towards that vacuum
system.
I would say the bottom line isthat if you do pool service, you
really do need a vacuum system,and you would want to kind of
weigh the pros and cons of allof these vacuum systems.
(16:39):
Of course, if you wanted a cartvacuum system, you can get the
rip tie directly from them.
They'll ship it out to you.
You get it in like five days.
It's pretty crazy.
You know, if you're inCalifornia, it comes here in
like a week, five days or so,and you can get the hammerhead
at mostly of your suppliers andpick those, pick that up as
well.
And I like the cart becauseagain, it's convenient to bring
(17:00):
everything back there, and itdoes work for about 90% of the
pools in my area.
There are a few pools I can'tget the cart back to, and the
bottom feeder is perfect forthat.
I mean, it's not a bad idea tohave a combination of vacuum
systems.
A lot of pros have the riptideor hammerhead, and then they
have the bottom feeder, so it'sone of those things where having
more than one is not an issue.
Now, with the new shrimp, it'sgoing to be even more convenient
(17:22):
to have like a riptide, and thenif you buy the shrimp, you can
use that one.
And it's something that I thinkmore than one vacuum system, if
you can get to that level, isthe ultimate solution.
But a lot of people will settleon one.
And if you don't need the cart,there are there are those
options for you for the cartlessvacuum systems, and I would
(17:43):
really compare all the systemsand see which one is right for
you, which one's going to makeyour job easier to bring it back
there.
If you're looking for somethingin an area where you have really
heavy debris all the time, well,then the Riptide XP would be a
great choice, even though it'snot quite as convenient.
You have the cord, you have thebattery box, you gotta bring it
(18:03):
back there, and probably youhave to go back to your truck
for the other supplies for thatpool, and the bottom feeder
again.
You can carry everything back,especially with the new bottom
feeder bag.
You just put it on your back,like a guitar basically, or an
instrument case, and you canjust carry the bottom feeder
back there.
So, whatever is convenient,whatever you're looking for as
far as power, cart, no cart,there are a lot of options out
(18:26):
there for you, and I hope thiswas helpful and kind of an
overview of these systems.
I didn't get into the bags oranything like that, but I can
probably do that in a futurepodcast.
And just briefly, the lower themicron bag, the more fine dirt
and silt the vacuum system willget.
The bottom feeder has a 57micron bag, the riptide and the
(18:47):
other ones generally the 60micron bag would be the lowest I
would recommend.
And then you have the highermicron bags, which get less fine
dirt but more debris, andthey're much more durable.
But again, the vacuum systemsare something that I think most
pool pros should get, and that'sa piece of equipment that's
(19:07):
gonna really enhance your poolroute and make pool cleaning
much easier, and it's gonna makeyour day much better, especially
in those areas that getwindstorms and get heavy debris
in pools on occasion or even allthe time, which is unfortunately
some service areas in SouthernCalifornia, it's always windy,
it's kind of a tragic thing, butthere's areas in the inland
(19:30):
empire that every month andevery week there's a windstorm
of one sort or another.
If you're looking for otherpodcasts, you can find those on
my website, SonyProLearning.com,and on the banner click on the
podcast icon.
There'll be a drop down menu ofother podcasts for you.
And if you're interested in mycoaching program, you can learn
more at PoGuyCoaching.com.
(19:50):
Thanks for listening to thispodcast.
Have a great rest of your weekand God bless.
Hey, welcome to the Pool Green Podcast Show.
In this episode, I'm going totalk about vacuum systems with
the cart, without a cart, andthe different vacuum systems
that are available on the marketout there today.
You can kind of compare andcontrast when you're looking to
upgrade or maybe add a vacuumsystem to your pool route or to
(01:24):
get one for an employee.
Are you a pool service prolooking to take your business to
the next level?
Join the pool guy coachingprogram.
Get expert advice, businesstips, exclusive content, and get
direct support from me.
I'm a 35-year veteran in theindustry.
Whether you're starting out orscaling up, I've got the tools
to help you succeed.
Learn more atswimmingpoollearning.com.
(01:45):
I'll start with if you shouldget the vacuum system with or
without a cart.
Of course, there are some vacuumsystems that you wouldn't need a
cart for or don't have a cartfor sale as part of the vacuum
system.
The cart does come in handy insituations where you can
actually use the cart and itdoes make it easier to transport
(02:06):
the vacuum system back to thepool for sure.
The two main companies that havea vacuum system with the cart
are the Riptide vacuum systemand the Hammerhead.
And both of these you can getwith the service cart or without
the service cart.
And I'll touch on those modelslater.
But the vacuums with the cart,the convenience factor of this
(02:30):
is that you have your vacuumsystem and the battery on there,
and you also have room, at leastin the riptide cart, for
chlorine and a lot ofaccessories.
The hammerhead cart is a littlebit limited, but it's actually a
really well-balanced cart aswell.
The limitation is mainly in whatyou can put in there compared to
the riptide cart.
(02:51):
We can load it with a bunch ofstuff.
So it's a very versatile cartitself.
Now, some of the drawbacks withthe cart are that not every
single account is accessiblewith the cart stairs.
Maybe there's areas where youcan't get the cart through
(03:11):
because of narrowness of thebackyard entry area.
So it's not gonna be for everyaccount for that reason.
Plus, you have to get thetransport rack, which comes with
the cart, and put it in the backof your truck.
And this in some situations maylimit your tailgate, how low you
can if you can lower yourtailgate or not.
(03:31):
Oh, the riptide does have aswing-away hitch mount that you
can use just to kind of move thecart out of the way to open the
tailgate.
Otherwise, you'll have to takeoff the transport rack to access
the back of your truck.
If you're putting in a filter orsomething large like a heater,
you'll have to remove that toput it in your truck.
So that is one drawback with thetransport rack on the back of
(03:55):
the truck.
The other drawback, of course,is the fact that it could
obstruct your some of the viewsout of the back of your truck.
And of course, it could fall offif you don't secure it properly,
which is not very common, butthere's safety pins, and of
course, you can strap it.
But there has been instances ofthe carts falling off the back
of the truck.
(04:16):
It does give you the visual edgein pool service.
What I mean by this is thathaving that cart on back does
make you look very professional.
Now, especially if you get theT-bar mount from Advantaged
Manufacturing, just go toadvantaged manufacturing.com and
there's a T-bar mount.
What's cool about this is thatit's designed so it goes into
(04:40):
the receiver in the center ofthe back of your truck, and then
there are two other receiversfor two hitches, either a vacuum
system transport rack or theadvantage um hitch for their
service cart.
You can have a vacuum system onone side and then a regular pool
(05:00):
service cart on the other side.
Now, of course, you can go to awelding shop, uh, auto welding
shop, muffler shop would bespecifically what I'm thinking
about.
If you can find a muffler shopin your area, they can actually
weld two receivers onto the backof your truck.
That's kind of the old schoolmethod of doing it, but I think
it's much better just to buy tohave a receiver put on if you
(05:23):
don't have one.
It's a class three, you can getthat at U-Haul or at a muffler
shop installed, and then use aT-bar mount in the middle.
And with the anti-wobble plateson that and also the other two
mounts, it's going to be areally smooth way to transport
your vacuum system and yourservice cart in your truck at
(05:43):
the same time.
So there's really nothing betterthan the cart and the
convenience factor.
Now, of course, if you have abottom feeder, Advantage
Manufacturing does make a bottomfeeder cart.
This was created by a poolservice pro that wanted to have
a cart for the bottom feeder, soit's very similar to their
regular service cart, but it hasa special compartment for the
(06:05):
bottom feeder.
T Doula can also make you abottom feeder cart as well.
They're in Orange County.
You can go to tdoula.com, Ibelieve that's their website,
and you can have a cart for thebottom feeder.
So you can carry back yourchlorine and all the accessories
with that.
But specifically, it's reallynot made for a cart, and it may
not be necessary.
So let me quickly transition tothe vacuum systems without a
(06:26):
cart.
Now, of course, the bottomfeeder would be number one on
that list for a number offactors, but one of them being
that it's very lightweight,weighs about 12 pounds with the
battery itself, and it's reallyconvenient to use and just
attach it to your pool pole, andthere's no cords or batteries to
drag back to hold on and bringback there as well.
(06:49):
So it's like an a completesystem itself.
So you're you're going to findthat to be, in my opinion, the
best non-cart vacuum system.
And of course, it's probably upthere with the best cart systems
if you get the advantage bottomfeeder cart for it.
Now, the price point of thebottom feeder, and it comes with
(07:11):
the battery, is about 1500.
But if you use my discount codeDVB100, you'll save$100 on
there, and it'll bring the pricedown.
They have a new model called theShrimp, and that sells for about
$1,200.
And that that is a smallerversion of the bottom feeder.
It's got a 5-inch throat versusthe 6-inch throat on the bottom
(07:31):
feeder, and it has the samebattery runtime.
Now it does have a little lesspower, but you won't notice it
because the 5-inch openingcreates more thrust.
So I don't think that will besomething that will be
noticeable.
But it is smaller and morenimble, and it is a great option
if you're using those Coquitavacuums all the time and you
(07:54):
wanted something a littlesmaller than the bottom feeder.
And since I'm I just mentionedthe Coquita vacuums, they're
pretty popular.
They they have them at SCP andSuperior pool products, other
outlets.
I think Heritage also sellsthose.
Get them on Amazon, and they'reanywhere from two to three
hundred dollars for these littlevacuums that are made out of
plastic.
A lot of pool guys like thesethings, they don't have a huge
(08:17):
lifespan, but for two or threehundred dollars, it's something
that you can use to spot vacuumthings out.
The shrimp is kind of designedto fit into that category, but
to be a lot more robust, ofcourse, because it's made out of
metal and it has a real motor onthere and it has a real battery
pack on there.
(08:37):
And so it's it's more expensive,of course, but if you go through
three or four of these coquitasin a season, it may be worth
just to get the shrimp that'sgoing to last you many, many
years of use.
I mean, if you baby the coquita,you could probably get nine
months.
Some people have gotten over ayear with them, but they do
(08:57):
break, they're plastic, theyhave all mostly all plastic
parts.
There's some that come with analuminum swivel handle, but it's
just a plastic cleaner that isnot technically meant for pool
service use, but they are prettyeffective, they're light, and
they do actually pick up debrisin the bags that come with them.
But again, the shrimp would be agreat direct replacement for
(09:21):
these because it's got that thesmall footprint as well, and you
can use it in as little as fourinches of water effectively to
vacuum out the leaf debris in apool.
Now, the other portable, I guesssomewhat portable non-cart
vacuum systems, the originalpower vac, they've changed it,
(09:41):
redesigned it, and relaunched itwithout the cart, so you can no
longer get the cart with thepower vac to put on the back of
your truck, which really, in myopinion, is a shame because I
thought the power vac cart wasthe best service cart of the
three vacuum systems with thecart.
It was the most refined cart,and it did have a lot of space
(10:02):
for everything, but it wasextremely well balanced and a
really great cart vacuum system.
But the cart's no longeravailable, and it's just
basically the power vac with thebattery box, and you can bring
it back to the stop.
They redesigned the whole thing,it still has the kind of office
chair wheels on there, butthey're more robust.
And that one sells for about$1300, so pretty close to the
(10:26):
bottom feeder price point, andthen you have to get a battery
for it as well.
So, with the battery, you'regonna get close to what you
would pay for the bottom feeder,and the bottom feeder, in my
opinion, is a lot moreconvenient to bring back to the
pool.
The next one would be theRiptide XP, which is basically
the Riptide vacuum head with abattery box as well, and that
(10:48):
one sells for about$11.40, andthen you're going to have to buy
the battery.
So that one's probably thelowest of the lowest priced of
the non-cart vacuum systems.
It's pretty heavy because theriptide vacuum head is heavy,
and then you have the battery.
So, out of all the portableones, it's probably the
heaviest, but the riptide power,it you can't really say anything
(11:10):
negative against how powerfulthe riptide vacuum is.
And with the XP version, you'llget the power of the riptide
without the cart.
So it's an option out there thatyou may want to look into.
(11:41):
And Riptide Customer Service isprobably the best customer
service out there for the vacuumsystems.
Then you have the hammerheadRemora, which is a hammerhead
that you wear battery pack onyour waist.
A lot of people like this with asmall cord that goes to the
hammerhead.
So a lot of people like thiscleaner, but again, I think the
(12:02):
bottom feeder is much easier touse.
It's this is the closest thingto the bottom feeder because you
have the battery you wear, andthen you just have a short cord
to the hammerhead vacuum headitself.
But it's one of those thingswhere you have to really weigh
the pros and cons of having abattery on your waist and the
(12:22):
portability of the remorecompared to just purchasing
something like the bottomfeeder, which is all inclusively
portable.
Let me transition real quick andtalk about the power of these
vacuum systems and I and thepower and use, I should say.
I did a video, I think it'scalled the Ultimate Vacuum
(12:42):
System Guide back in 2021, whereI show using the power vac with
the cart, the original one, andthen the hammerhead, the
riptide, and the bottom feeder,and basically I go over all the
all of this in that video, andit's a really it's a video that
you may want to watch if you'recomparing these systems, even
though the power vac has changedsomewhat, but it goes over the
(13:04):
use of these things.
And if I was gonna say the cartvacuum systems, even though the
riptide is like indestructible,I think the vacuum head has a
10-year warranty, it's heavy,and it's it's not as easy to
maneuver in the pool as thehammerhead vacuum head, in my
opinion.
The hammerhead moves prettysmoothly through the pool, it's
(13:27):
more elevated than the riptide,and so if you have vinyl pools,
I think the hammerhead is muchmore suited for that.
The riptide, of course, wins inthe power category because of
the way it just pulls all thedebris in.
So it is the most powerful, inmy opinion, even though the
thrust motors I think are verysimilar or the same between the
(13:47):
hammerhead and riptide, the waythe riptide is designed
generates more power, in myopinion, after using these
systems, and so I think theriptide wins in that power
category.
And if you have employees, theriptide, again, it's pretty
indestructible.
If the employees don't treat itwell, they're not gonna break
it.
I think the bottom feeder alsois a great employee vacuum
(14:08):
system because of itsdurability.
But those would be my choicesfor employees for sure.
The hammerhead isn't like a wimpor anything, but you can break
the head in the shell, so youhave to be careful with it.
But it does move very smoothlyin the pool.
If you were comparing thesedirectly side by side, the
riptide and the hammerhead.
The power vac I always thoughtwas one of the most
(14:31):
maneuverable.
I like using that on steps andin the spa.
And I think it still kind ofpulls a little bit to the deep
end, those kind of wheels thatare on there from the office
chair kind of thing, kind ofpulls towards the center, but
you'll find it's verymaneuverable as well and easy to
use.
And of course, the bottom feederwith no cords, you just put it
(14:51):
in there and you can move itaround.
It's one of the most convenientand maneuverable vacuum systems
you can have out there.
The new shrimp is even moremaneuverable and more nimble
than the bottom feeder, so youmay want to look at that.
It's on their site right now.
If you go to thebottomfeeder.com, you'll see the
shrimp as well listed there.
And check that one out.
I think if you're looking forsomething compact like the
(15:13):
coquito cleaners, that's easy totake back there and
maneuverable, but you wantsomething that's more robust,
that'd be a great choice aswell.
So between all the vacuumsystems, they all work really
well with the riptide probablybeing the most powerful of them,
and the hammerhead probablybeing a very close second.
The power vac I always thoughtdidn't really have the same
(15:35):
power as the other ones becauseof how large the throat is and
the shape of it, but it's stillvery powerful.
And the one with probably theleast powerful because it has a
smaller thrust motor, is thebottom feeder.
Not noticeable in my opinion ifyou're using if you have
moderate debris.
Now, if your pool has a heavydebris, like earlier in the year
(15:56):
we had these fires inCalifornia, and the pools got
totally toasted with debris, youknow, one of the worst amounts
of debris I've seen before.
The riptide was able to handleit much better.
But in situations where you justhave moderate or normal debris,
the bottom feeder is great for95% of the pools out there, and
(16:18):
the compactness of it issomething that is the selling
point and why a lot of pool prosgravitate towards that vacuum
system.
I would say the bottom line isthat if you do pool service, you
really do need a vacuum system,and you would want to kind of
weigh the pros and cons of allof these vacuum systems.
(16:39):
Of course, if you wanted a cartvacuum system, you can get the
rip tie directly from them.
They'll ship it out to you.
You get it in like five days.
It's pretty crazy.
You know, if you're inCalifornia, it comes here in
like a week, five days or so,and you can get the hammerhead
at mostly of your suppliers andpick those, pick that up as
well.
And I like the cart becauseagain, it's convenient to bring
(17:00):
everything back there, and itdoes work for about 90% of the
pools in my area.
There are a few pools I can'tget the cart back to, and the
bottom feeder is perfect forthat.
I mean, it's not a bad idea tohave a combination of vacuum
systems.
A lot of pros have the riptideor hammerhead, and then they
have the bottom feeder, so it'sone of those things where having
more than one is not an issue.
Now, with the new shrimp, it'sgoing to be even more convenient
(17:22):
to have like a riptide, and thenif you buy the shrimp, you can
use that one.
And it's something that I thinkmore than one vacuum system, if
you can get to that level, isthe ultimate solution.
But a lot of people will settleon one.
And if you don't need the cart,there are there are those
options for you for the cartlessvacuum systems, and I would
(17:43):
really compare all the systemsand see which one is right for
you, which one's going to makeyour job easier to bring it back
there.
If you're looking for somethingin an area where you have really
heavy debris all the time, well,then the Riptide XP would be a
great choice, even though it'snot quite as convenient.
You have the cord, you have thebattery box, you gotta bring it
(18:03):
back there, and probably youhave to go back to your truck
for the other supplies for thatpool, and the bottom feeder
again.
You can carry everything back,especially with the new bottom
feeder bag.
You just put it on your back,like a guitar basically, or an
instrument case, and you canjust carry the bottom feeder
back there.
So, whatever is convenient,whatever you're looking for as
far as power, cart, no cart,there are a lot of options out
(18:26):
there for you, and I hope thiswas helpful and kind of an
overview of these systems.
I didn't get into the bags oranything like that, but I can
probably do that in a futurepodcast.
And just briefly, the lower themicron bag, the more fine dirt
and silt the vacuum system willget.
The bottom feeder has a 57micron bag, the riptide and the
(18:47):
other ones generally the 60micron bag would be the lowest I
would recommend.
And then you have the highermicron bags, which get less fine
dirt but more debris, andthey're much more durable.
But again, the vacuum systemsare something that I think most
pool pros should get, and that'sa piece of equipment that's
(19:07):
gonna really enhance your poolroute and make pool cleaning
much easier, and it's gonna makeyour day much better, especially
in those areas that getwindstorms and get heavy debris
in pools on occasion or even allthe time, which is unfortunately
some service areas in SouthernCalifornia, it's always windy,
it's kind of a tragic thing, butthere's areas in the inland
(19:30):
empire that every month andevery week there's a windstorm
of one sort or another.
If you're looking for otherpodcasts, you can find those on
my website, SonyProLearning.com,and on the banner click on the
podcast icon.
There'll be a drop down menu ofother podcasts for you.
And if you're interested in mycoaching program, you can learn
more at PoGuyCoaching.com.
(19:50):
Thanks for listening to thispodcast.
Have a great rest of your weekand God bless.
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